You are the Face of Ag in the Classroom
By Julie Murphree, Arizona Farm Bureau Ag Education Director
Head up to Apache County and you may run into Sarah Lann dropping off an Arizona Farm Bureau Ag in the Classroom curriculum kit to a fourth-grade teacher. She could also be found cleaning and restocking a just-used kit.
Rancher by trade, Lann is also great teaching “Tools of a Cowboy,” volunteering in the Junior High agriculture class or assisting with a teachers’ workshop.
And she’s not done. Next on her calendar is assisting with another teachers’ workshop that she’s eager to help with. “We’re gathering and shipping the day after so the teachers’ workshop will be like downtime for me ?? a day away from the ranch.”
In fact, Lann and Cherie Wiltbank partner together in managing the curriculum kits used in Apache County. The Wiltbanks’ feed store, Diamond C Feed, has even opened up space to store the curriculum kits in. “We’re partners in crime,” says Lann.
Lann and Wiltbank are Ag in the Classroom. Our producer partners make Ag in the Classroom come alive. You always will because you have the stories to tell.
Most educators and Ag in the Classroom coordinators will tell you this. Agriculture Education Manager Katie Aikins confirms it: “The children love to ask questions of the farmer, the dairyman or the rancher in the classroom and are fascinated with the things agriculturalists have to do in their businesses.”
And kids remember too! After several back-to-back years of going into the classrooms and sharing stories about cotton farming, cotton producer Pennee Murphree became known as the “Cotton Lady.”
There’s Sharla Mortimer teaching and making a hit of the Yavapai County Poster contest for the local schools, there’s the Highland FFA kids helping at our special activities, Linda Merrell coordinating with school leaders and others, Lexi Harvey our FFA intern and Gretchen Groseta helping out too. In fact, more names than we have space to mention. But most are Arizona agriculture families and FFAers making a difference on behalf of agriculture and our Arizona youth.
This first year AZFB Ag in the Classroom program was successful for many reasons, but one very important reason involves the producer volunteer. We sincerely thank you for that and look forward to partnering with you in the future to reach out to our K through 6 grade kids and teach them about Arizona Agriculture.
In fact, we’re gearing up for an exciting second year. Aikins is looking for farmers and ranchers willing to profile their operations for children. She plans to make them part of her curriculum lessons. If interested, contact her at 480.635.3608 or email her at katieaikins@azfb.org.
